


The Black Witch Who Hunts with Rabbits

by Featherine_Aurora



Series: The New School Mysteries [1]
Category: Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni, Umineko no Naku Koro ni | When the Seagulls Cry
Genre: 07th Expansion, Fantasy, Horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 08:52:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7041475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Featherine_Aurora/pseuds/Featherine_Aurora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a school in which eight Youkai dwell, hunting humans and known to those humans as the eight mysteries. But a certain great witch decides that eight mysteries is not enough. More beings of magic find themselves introduced to this world and school without their consent. Eva-Beatrice is plucked from the Golden Land along with the demons Ronove and Gaap, plus a number of other supernatural beings.</p><p>Now stuck, they must adapt to life with the school Youkai, weaving their own tales as denizens of the school.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Black Witch Who Hunts with Rabbits

So, it was another day of school and another day of Sachiko dedicating herself to a single goal. Today, she would do especially well in her school work and get excellent grades. That was her aim for every day at school and she vowed at the start of every day to achieve it. She would, given her track record so far. She'd joined the ranks of students in her year with the highest grades in a surprisingly short amount of time.

For the teachers, this had been amazing. Sachiko's grades had not been poor, but she'd suddenly changed from being a somewhat above average student as best into one of the hardest working and most studious in her year. This change of attitude was refreshing to Sachiko. In the past, the teachers said that she could do better and that she should try harder. It was annoying. She really was trying her best. Well, at least it was better than the attitude of her parents. They just saw her average grades as something to be expected from her. They did not expect her to be capable of getting great grades, so they could not disappointed when she didn't.

Now though, the teachers saw her as a fantastic model student. Her parents thought the same of her, but her new grades served to improve her confidence. It no longer mattered what her parents said about her. Sachiko believed in her abilities. She could achieve anything she set her sights on now.

There were still issues with other students. Sachiko was aware that she was not a likeable person. She tended to be aloof, cold and even rude. But what she wanted was not to gain the affection of her classmates. What she wanted was recognition of her abilities by them. Even if they hated her, she would not care if they also acknowledged her as a capable person. That would be wonderful. Besides, she was used to their hate.   
  
In the past, her aloof and rude nature had earned her the ire of her classmates. Sachiko admitted that it was to be expected. The degree in which some classmates mistreated her was wrong, something she would not forgive them for.

Yet she was bound to not have positive relations with her classmates with her attitude. It was in part her fault that no one liked her. But she did not care about that. What really annoyed her was how some of them acted like they were immensely superior to her. They seemed to examine her grades, her physical education performance and her appearance and mannerisms, just for the sake of finding ways to insult her and affirm her status as a stuck up idiot girl who was beneath them.

Now though, things were different. Not only did they have much less to throw in her face, with her doing much better at school, but her better grades increased her confidence. This in turn seemed to give her a certain aura that seemed to deter others. It was as though her new-found willpower was given a form others could see, a form that made them aware of it, this power she wielded and fear it's immense strength.

She'd been studying much harder than she'd ever done before. She'd done every bit of extra work, going over detailed notes and working through much of the night. It would be worth it, once she forced her classmates to recognise her value and once she was on a path that would allow her to succeed in life. Sachiko was sure of it, that she would certainly achieve her aims. But it was not just a matter of confidence in her hard work.

Recently, a new supernatural rumour had been passing through the school. In addition to the frequent talk of the eight mysteries, of the Youkai who dwelled in the school, there was now talk of a witch who prowled the corridors of the school, often appearing to pull petty pranks on others and cause mischief. She'd also sometimes appear to those who really disrespected her and punish them. But, for those who chose to respect her and believe in her existence, this witch would sometimes appear before such people and grant them access to her magic.

Sachiko believed in the witch. Well, it would be more accurate to say that she knew the witch existed. It was a fact. That other-worldly being definitely existed. The Golden Witch, Beatrice, had appeared before her and offered her access to her power.

 

* * *

 

  
It had been about a month ago since the day Sachiko first met Beatrice.

She'd been crying for a while now. Sachiko knew that much, that it had been a while since she'd ran out of class. Today had been worse than usual. Combined with her past bullying, it just seemed to snap something in her. It was embarrassing to think about how her classmates really had gotten to her today with their bullying. This made her sadder, which led to her feeling even more embarrassed about how she'd let her classmates affect her so much with her actions. It was a cycle, one fuelled by years of bitterness that was being let loose for a short while.

So, it was to be expected that, when the flow of tears and misery began to stem, it would be getting dark. Sachiko had hidden herself well and thus had been left alone for a long time. She would therefore be late getting home. She did not care. Her parents would care, though not for the right reason. It was not like they wouldn't be genuinely concerned for her if enough time passed after her normal return time passed. They may not have liked having her as their child, but they still valued the lives of others. But their main feelings until that point would be irritation at being made to adjust their plans to account for her absence. It was annoyance at their disappointing child that filled their hearts most of the time.

Therefore, Sachiko had not much of a reason to care. Though her feelings were about to be changed, because what was about to happen was something extraordinary.

Before her, as she stood up and moved to leave the school, Sachiko saw something.

It was something golden, something that shone as it floated in the air. As she focused on it, she realised it was a butterfly. It was followed by more butterflies. These fluttered around in a cloud in front of Sachiko. She just froze as she saw this. These butterflies that sparkled like the embers of a fire were not natural. She had heard of the Eight Mysteries of the School. You really couldn't avoid hearing something about them. But she had not believed in any of them. She'd also never heard of one like this. She'd never heard of any mystery or ghost story involving butterflies like these.

Yet it was clear that she was dealing with something abnormal. If she'd had any doubts of that, they would have been destroyed as the space encompassing the butterflies seemed to warp and the butterflies merged together into a bright glowing light. From that light emerged a person.

That person looked at her with sparkling blue eyes, meeting the gaze of Sachiko's own red eyes with her own. This strange being was wearing an ornate and elaborate purple dress. In her hands, which were covered by opera gloves was a golden staff with a single winged eagle on it's tip. On her head was a black hat with a rose on it.

The age of this person, who looked to be a girl in her early teens, was the only thing that would give the idea of this being a normal student. Certainly though, even without the way this person had appeared, her outfit was clearly something no one at this school would be wearing. Well, apart from the supernatural beings that supposedly dwelled in the corridors of the school. Sachiko had not believed in them, but that really was not possible after witnessing such a sight.

Then this being started talking to her.

“So, you've had another rough day, Sachiko?”

Wait, this being knew of that? Had it been watching her?

“Please don't think of me as an it. I am Beatrice, the Golden Witch”.

Now, that was unexpected. From what little she knew of the school mysteries, they were all Youkai. There were no Witches. She'd never heard of this Golden Witch once. But said Witch was right in front of her. So, doubting her was hardly sane.

More importantly though, had this Witch responded to her thoughts? Could she read Sachiko's mind?

“No, I can't read your mind or anything like that. You just seem to be in such a state of shock that you're letting your face express your every thought”.

Well, that was a bit reassuring. Yet Sachiko was still facing an unknown being that certainly had some sort of magic.

“Excuse me, Beatrice-sama, but why have you appeared before me? I presume you want something from me, correct?”

“No. Well, okay, there's one thing. Do you have any treats on you?”

That was unexpected. But Sachiko searched through her pockets and her bag. She found a packet of cheap konpeito and handed it to the Witch. She did not seem happy with the offering.

Well, that was great. It was possible Sachiko was moments from death, all due to a packet of sweets.

“It'll do. I'll overlook the quality of your offering, since you're a very unique person. Now, I'm actually here due to the same thing that has you here. Those other students are treating you in such a horrible way. Those scum should just chew on their belly buttons and die. They just repulse me so much in the way they treat you that I just felt like I need to help you”.

This was suspicious. Many tales with supernatural beings offering help did not end well.

“I appreciate the offer, really. Thank you, Beatrice-sama. Yet my situation really is not that bad, so….”

She was interrupted by Beatrice. “Not that bad?! You've spend much of today hiding and drowning in misery, only leaving as the darkness of night has started claiming this place. In fact, the night has advanced enough that a Witch is able to appear before you. How is that “not that bad”?”

Sachiko had no response to that. The bullying she was enduring had been going on for so long now that she was cracking. That's what her breakdown meant, really. Sachiko knew that, even as she had used the weak excuse of it not being bad to fend off the Witch.

But what could she do? A deal with a Witch was not exactly a safe proposal.

“Well, I must ask what you would demand in exchange for your help”.

“Nothing, apart from that you respect and acknowledge my existence”.

Well, that would seem to be easy. But she needed clarification. “What does that mean?”

Beatrice smiled. “It's simple. Beings like myself really hate having humans say we don't exist or that our acts are just something that could be explained rationally by science. So, don't say that I don't exist. Beatrice, the Golden Witch, does exist. I am that Witch. Accept that and there should be no problems. After all, I'm interested in helping out people like you, capable people who are unjustly attacked by others who are inferior to you. I really want to see how you might go, with your full potential unlocked. So, please, just let me help you. I'm asking for nothing really in return”.

That was true, and Sachiko really wanted things to improve for her. So, her answer was obvious.

“Well, I guess I can hear you out. What exactly are you offering?”

 

* * *

 

  
From then, she and the Golden Witch Beatrice were acquaintances and Beatrice's magic was at her disposal.

Well, that was not quite right. To be precise, the witch had offered to teach her a form of black magic. What she'd learned was how to, with Beatrice's assistance, take her hatred and bitterness, like that towards the other students, and turn it into a form of magical energy that would allow her to succeed at any endeavour. It had already produced results. She could use it to stay up and study far longer than even coffee would allow. It enabled her to never stop working and to do so in a relentless manner. She'd already gotten grades in homework that were better than anyone in her class. But that was not enough to get others to acknowledge her.

She needed to keep working harder and, to maintain that level of effort, she needed the power of this black magic.

That was how Beatrice had referred to it herself. Initially, in spite of Beatrice's reassurances in regards to it, Sachiko had been weary of it. It sounded very much like the sort of thing a person would regret using. Yet her hatred of the other students had led her to accepting Beatrice's offer. It had worked out for her. This magic was giving her what she wanted. So, she would give the witch that simple thing she wanted, for Sachiko to believe in her and acknowledge her as a witch. To do otherwise was impossible. That witch, who was now standing nearby, had already given her a wonderful gift and would allow her to gain even more.

It was odd, having a friend whom others could not see. Yet, Beatrice was right there, in her sailor style uniform and with one of her hands fiddling with her ginger hair. It was still odd to see the witch wearing a school uniform. Apparently, the choice of the uniform over the purple dress she had was because not that many people believed in her. An appearance like that made it easier for her to maintain her form and make herself visible to Sachiko when there were lots of people around. It had something to do with anti-magic toxin, something magic denying people apparently emitted. Her first appearance had been before Sachiko while she was alone, so there had been no problem with anti-magic toxins.

The more Beatrice tried to explain her magic system to her, the more convoluted it seemed. It didn't help that Beatrice had multiple types of magic. She had black magic, one example of which was the magic she'd taught Sachiko. There was also Endless magic and Golden magic. Neither of these had much relevance to her, apparently. That was what Beatrice had told her, so Sachiko decided to hold off her enquiries about them for now.

In any case, the witch had done enough for her that Sachiko really didn't care about her non witch-like appearance. She firmly believed in Beatrice and her magic, the power that would make the others respect her and enable her to achieve her dreams.

Yes, she definitely had that power and it was thanks to Beatrice. Sachiko really was grateful. So, she smiled warmly at Beatrice just before she entered her classroom. It would look odd to others, her smiling at some random point in the corridor where no one stood. But a little gesture like that was something Beatrice deserved.

The Witch just waved at her and then disappeared in a flash of gold.

 

* * *

 

  
The place Beatrice had gone to with that bit of magic was the rooftop with a flash of gold. She was now again wearing her outfit as a witch, her elegant purple dress and her golden staff. Ah, it had been some time since she'd been in this form anywhere outside of the Golden Land. That land was a world of magic within her native world, where she'd been before being taken to this world. In the Golden Land, there was none of the anti-magic toxin that existed in the world of humans. So, a witch could perform all sorts of magic there.

Yet every time she used magic in the world of humans was a delight, even if it was very rare that she could. Beatrice could only exist in the golden land and perform magic there because of the power of the witch who was also Beatrice the Golden, the witch who'd she inherited the title from. That Beatrice ruled the Golden Land and enforced rules that made everyone equals and treat each other nicely. Despite those restrictions, living in that land had been pleasant and peaceful. But there were limits. As Beatrice, no, as Eva-Beatrice, successor to the second Golden Witch, she was bound by the rules like everyone else. At least her predecessor, the second Beatrice, was bound by the rules just like her.

But slipping away from restrictions was not the only reason she was here by her own will, taken from her world to this place by another witch, one much more powerful. Eva-Beatrice was again performing wondrous magic fully with her own power. For a witch, that filled one with joy. Here, in the world of humans, the possibilities of what a person could do really was endless. She'd already experienced a new joy in making Sachiko into a friend of sorts. Here on the roof was another experience, that of using magic right on top of a busy school.

Admittedly, her display of magic on the roof was partly possible because the roof was an isolated location. Furthermore, she had used a bit of magic to ensure any students trying to wander up here would find themselves facing locked doors stopping them in their path. So, Eva-Beatrice would have a bit of time up here where she'd be able to relax in a manner suitable for her as a witch. She'd even created a table and chairs, with an umbrella to give her some shade. Eva even had someone to serve her tea.

Ronove made excellent tea, even if he was rather rude for mere furniture. A servant of a witch should show more respect. But nothing would ever make Ronove give that.

“Ah, it is good to see you, milady. You seem to spend to spend so much time with that Sachiko girl that I seem to rarely see you. I hope I have done nothing to offend milady?”

“That girl is none of your business” were the words spat out in response. Then Eva added “Apart from being yourself, you've done nothing of note. Umm… you're serving me adequately, for second hand furniture. Yeah, I'll refrain myself from tossing you in a fire or something”.

“Puhuhuh, a most glowing assessment. Thank you for your praise”.

That dammed furniture had a habit of being weirdly polite in his rudeness. He tended to be rude in a way that made it hard for others to ever accuse him of being rude. He'd just chuckle and say that he'd certainly not intended to offend anyone and he was so sorry for anything that appeared like rudeness. He'd never do something like that intentionally.

No one ever bought into his words, but there was nothing anyone could actually do about his rudeness. If they did anything to someone like him, they'd look like the bad guy.

But Eva was known as an extremely cruel witch. Her reputation could hardly be damaged further if she, for example, smashed Ronove's face in, then ripped out his brain and tossed it against a wall. That would teach him for his certainly rude and mocking thoughts about her, concealed by his politeness. Then she'd snap his arm off his corpse and use it as a back scratcher. That would be nice.

She looked at Ronove's face, imagining what it would look like if she did smash it in. Ronove looked back at her and lightly chuckled. He probably could guess what she was thinking. Yeah, even with the time she'd spent in the golden land after the end of predecessor-sama's game, Eva-Beatrice was still seen as a cruel childish sadist. She knew it. But she'd been given a chance before then to show a better side to her and she'd abided by the rules of the Golden Land. That naturally meant no torturing your fellow neighbours in that land. But everyone knew she still had that impulse for cruelty and wickedness in her. Combined with what she'd done to everyone before getting to that place, relations were strained.

So, now Eva was no longer in the Golden Land. That was the work of another witch. The great Lambdadelta, witch of certainty, had transported her and Ronove here to this world. She had not given a reason for this, but Eva could safely assume it was for the sake of driving away boredom. Boredom was a poison for many witches, in that it allowed horrific memories of past traumas to flood their minds. Finding or creating something interesting served to keep away boredom and the memories that tried to swallow up their minds. Lambdadelta was that kind of witch. But she'd been kind enough to explain this world to Eva and gave her a bit of magical aid in regards to promoting knowledge of the mystery of the Golden Witch.

Now, Eva was here. She didn't have an opponent, but that did not mean there were no threats to her. The being who had just arrived was one of them. It was a tea party required at least one guest and one had just arrived. The third ranked of the school Youkai, the Dancing Higanbana, would be a delightful guest, hopefully. Her red and white ensemble was less ornate than Eva's, yet still as elegant. Eva could admit that much and how others might consider it even more elegant than hers. Combined with her sleek flowing black hair and pale skin, Higanbana was indeed beautiful. This was enhanced by the way she moved. Every gesture was graceful and elegant, like a perfect doll given life. Eva wondered if it were possible for Higanbana to do anything and give a grace to the way she did it.

She was certainly doing it now. Higanbana looked a a bit annoyed, though in a way that somehow had a doll-like grace to it. Well, that was to be expected. Up to this point, Eva had been avoiding the Youkai of the school. For a witch like her, it was easy. Yet it was also very rude, especially since she'd also been drawing attention to herself and rising as a school rumour. Eva knew that this rudeness could create problems later on, since the Youkai of the Eight Mysteries were beings who'd be her co-inhabitants. They had more that enough power to cause problems for her.

Eva knew that when she'd first appeared in the school. She also knew that, at that point, her own magic as a being in which no one believed to exist was far from what she'd once had. But Eva had been hard at work. So, due to a combination of an increasing belief in her and a good location that had minimal anti-magic toxins, this meeting was now possible.

Now, she needed to make a good enough first impression to avoid earning the ire of Higanbana.

“Ah, Higanbana-sama, welcome. Would you like something to drink?”

“Tee hee hee… so, you do have some manners. That does sound nice”.

She sat down at the table and Ronove then stepped forward. He poured her a cup of tea, handling in a most elegant manner, worthy of the butler of a great witch. As rude as he was, it was great to have him as a servant. Even if he was second hand furniture, he really was the greatest butler in heaven or hell. Well, she wasn't really sure about heaven, since she'd never been there. Yet it was what was said about Ronove and he was demonstrating why it was said. He had prepared a cup of tea for Higanbana with supernatural grace, then whisked out a plate from behind his back. On it were freshly baked cookies.

Higanbana's smile seemed to become brighter and more genuine at the sight of those. “I normally prefer sweets, but since you're offering...”

She then reached forward and helped herself to the delicious cookies. All of them. Thankfully, Ronove could cook Eva more, because she didn't feel like making the Youkai share the cookies with her.

“These are good. But it does make me wonder why people can supposedly get you to spare them by offering you sweets or cakes. I doubt the students in this school just carry around anything like that which can match the work of any competent cook, let alone your butler”.

“Oh, right”. Eva turned to Ronove. “I order you to get some more treats for this party. Be quick about it”.

“Certainly, milady. How could I refuse such a polite request? Puhuhuhu!” the demon responded right away, disappearing in a flash of gold before Eva could say anything about his rudeness. Gritting her teeth, Eva then turned to again face her guest.

“Now, to answer your question, I like sweets and have no objections to trying out new things. So, since having some way to appease me is essential for my mystery, I'd rather have it be something I really like. Also….”

At that point, Eva's face twisted into something expressing nothing but pure and malevolent glee. Her broad toothy grin was one that loudly declared her predatory and inhuman nature. No person could ever look on a face like that and see the being wearing it as anything but a monster.

“...I bet I could come up with some interesting punishments for humans who disrespect my name just using the sweets and treats presented to me. Let's see, how about I make any who tries to throw some cheap sweets you can get with a few yen my way gouge themselves on cheap sweets until their stomach pops open. If I can't get their stomach to pop open, I could always hand them up and invite the school Youkai to have turns trying to break open my new piñata. Plus, I can always stick it back together again. So, we could play with my piñata until everyone has had the joy of breaking it open and watching the sweets burst forth from it's belly! That would be generous of me, riiight? Kuhihihihihi! Ahahahahahaha!”

This was the sort of thing that came to Eva naturally. In her early years as a witch, she'd been attached to a human and had encouraged a cruel streak in that human. When Eva gained the title of Golden Witch and gained both freedom from that human and access to greater power, she'd been quick to use that power to gain pleasure from the suffering of others.  
  
Yet this was different. This sort of evil was something she'd only really indulged in the isolated world of her predecessor. That was a world created by magic that created an isolated world for the island of Rokkenjima on October 1986. In in, a few days could be replayed endlessly and any series of events that could have happened could be allowed to play out.

It was also a world where everyone in it was already dead. Eva had never stolen the life of one who was really alive outside of a limited existence brought about by magic. There was something chillingly pleasant about it, yet equally horrifying at the same time. Eva would be hurting normal people with her magic in a world and place where there were less restrictions on what she could do.

She had some experience of the world outside that isolated world of Rokkenjima. But it was as a then powerless witch, stopped by circumstance from ever being able to perform any meaningful magic. Now, she was in the world of humans again, yet capable of doing so much more.

Yes, she'd be committing horrible sins on real people. Despite what others thought of her, Eva knew that was wrong. It was something she wished to do and would need to do at least occasionally, if she were to establish herself as a school mystery, yet many of those she encountered would likely not deserve any of the suffering she'd inflicted on them. Such thoughts could be problematic and Eva hoped that they had not shown on her face as she cackled maniacally, still wearing an evil grin.

Higanbana just smiled at that display. Either she had a good poker face or was really used to this sort of thing. “I've heard a bit about this endless magic of yours from Lambdadelta”.

Of course Eva should have expected that Lambdadelta would have made herself known to the locals and talked about her recent additions to this world. In fact, it would not surprise Eva to learn that Lambdadelta had visited this world before. After all, Lambdadelta was both a witch capable of travelling to all possible worlds and one often called upon by humans in those many worlds, those humans hoping that she would grant a wish with her power to ensure anything with certainty.

“It sounds interesting, even if your use of it is a bit inelegant for me. Hunting in such a fashion does not have that much appeal to me”.

Was Higanbana looking down on her? Eva bit down on her desired response, but Higanbana seemed to have still seen her feelings. “Oh, it certainly looks like it could be fun, in a way. But it would not mesh particularly well with how I handle my hunts. Of course, there is some potential for us to work together and I could excuse your particular style, if you're ready to offer fair compensation”.

Naturally, that would come up. Such was easy to deal with in this case, though it always made sense for a Youkai to make sure they'd be rewarded properly. After all, the reward of a Youkai's hunt was the food they needed for sustenance, the souls of humans. However, a witch like Eva did not need the soul of a human for any purpose except that of bringing it back to life so that she might entertain herself with it. So, it would be easy for her to hand the souls of any humans she chose as victims to the Youkai, once she was done playing with them.

“Yes, I understand”.

“Good. As long as you don't pick any pointless fights or get in the way of a hunt, you'll find the school Youkai to be pleasant neighbours”.

After that, there really was nothing to talk about. They did try a bit of small talk, but neither had any interest in it. So, it was not long until Higanbana went to leave, saying one more thing to say before she did. “You'll need to keep a good eye on your little kouhai. A human like that is a tempting target for Youkai”. Then she was done.

Eva just looked at the spot where Higanbana had been in confusion. “Since when did I gain a kouhai?”

She then noticed that Ronove was chuckling, something he was trying to conceal with his hands, while giving her a knowing grin.

“Tell me, why does anyone ever hire you?”

**Author's Note:**

> Authors Note: Right, this is my first time writing a bunch of these characters, so I hope I've gotten them all right. Also, this is part of a collection. I'll be creating a number of stories for this premise of Umineko beings being introduced into the Higanbana universe. I do intend to limit myself on the number, so no need to worry about that. I will say that Gaap will be getting her own story in the collection.


End file.
